I've received a couple of cards from India recently and was thrilled to get this 2008 Diwali stamp on one of them. Deepavali is the full Sanskrit name, meaning "row of lights". I've always heard it as the shortened North Indian name "Diwali".
From what I've read, the difference is in the North the festival centres on Lakshmi Puja on the new moon evening. In much of the South, including Tamil-Nadu, the celebration happens in the early morning, marking Krishna's victory over the demon Narakasura.
I won't pretend to know how the celebrations are held, except for the eating of sweets (available in most major grocery stores where I live) and the setting off of fireworks (always a bit of contention over that.)
day 8 of NaBloPoMo
I've never seen the celebrations of Diwali, but I have got a couple of stamps about it. Around the world... there are very few celebrations that not include some sweets!
ReplyDeleteMy celebration is here.
My contribution:
ReplyDeletehttps://viridianpostcard.blogspot.com/2026/11/sunday-stamps-celebrations.html
Happy Diwali. A very exuberant festival. Leicester is our biggest with its golden mile of lights.
ReplyDeleteMy festivals this week are in summer
I now know more than I did about Diwali! Fireworks do have a part in most celebrations it seems.
ReplyDeleteMine:
https://thisandthatablog.blogspot.com/2026/11/sunday-stamps-november-8-2026.html
I know very little about the festival. I do like the stamp you posted.
ReplyDeleteI love the fact that stamps make us learn about the ways and uses of others.
ReplyDeleteI apologise for again reverting to a mail piece from Sri Lanka, but this is quite an interesting stamp and it does fit the bill for today perfectly, I think. You can see it here
Pedro, no need to ever apologize. I'm so glad we all have a chance to see more of your posts, no matter how old, or where from :)
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